The Phoenix Dagger
by Kaya Avalon
Summary: After Talpa was defeated, everything seemed to become peaceful once more. But things seem to heat up again when they get two mysterious American girls moving in with them. It's a tale of love, betrayal, mistaken identities, and someone coming back from th
1. Prolouge: The Phoenix Dagger

> ( Note: Disclaimer is very long, but extremely funny! XD! )  

> 
> Prologue: The Phoenix Dagger
> 
> _Medieval Times: The Forests of England_
> 
> Crimson spattered across the soft green grass only seconds before the lone body hit it. A young man of maybe 17 years of age stood over the young girl, panting, a bloody dagger clenched in his trembling hand, his other hand covering the handsome features of his face. Crimson eyes peeked through his fingers; silver-blue bangs falling in his face. "Why... why wouldn't you listen to me, Shade?" he murmured softly as tears fell down his dirt-caked cheeks. He looked down at the young woman, her emerald eyes staring into the darkness of the forest, that light he loved so much slowly fading. Her long fiery orange-golden-red hair was falling around her head and body like the flaming wings of a phoenix, her chest slowly rising and falling though going much slower and unsteadier with each passing moment.
> 
> Her eyes slowly closed, a soft whisper escaping her soft pink lips. "Th... thank you... re...member... I... love you, Damon..." With those words, her chest failed to raise again, her final breath escaping her now blood-filled lungs. Damon's crimson eyes slowly opened, the blood-covered dagger dropping to the ground. His hand fell from his face, more tears streaming down his cheeks. "No... Shade... I love you! Don't leave me!" he cried softly, kneeling next to the young woman named Shade, lifting her body and resting her upper half on his lap and rocking back and forth slowly. After a minute, he slowly picked her up, taking her over to the large body of the already-deceased red dragon, black blood slowly seeping from it's wounds. Slowly the dagger raised itself in the air, it's flame-like blade starting to glow the same color as fire.
> 
> The Phoenix Dagger was collecting its price. It started to spin slowly, the glow slowly growing brighter and brighter. Damon looked over at the dagger, giving a soft cry. Another cry was heard, this one much more feminine. "Shade! Orion! What the hell have you done to them you bloody bastard?!" Damon turned, hearing the voice of Shade's younger twin sister, Sylvia. His crimson eyes were filled with regret as he slowly stood, covered in the blood of Shade, and the black blood of Orion, the red dragon. The glow from the dagger grew brighter as his hand suddenly lashed out, grabbing the handle. Simultaneously, the glow spread all over his body and he screamed. 
> 
> Sylvia's eyes widened, showing the blue and green constantly mixing with each other, always changing... the brown flecks in them always stayed the same, though. Her long sandy-blonde hair started falling in her face and started blowing all over the place. "No... this can't be right!" she said softly to herself. Her hands clenched her long staff, taking two sides and twisting it, so a long curved blade showed up on the end. Damon, his eyes wild and his whole body glowing as the power of the Phoenix dagger pulsed through him. She charged towards him, blade ready, while he ran back towards her, Phoenix dagger in hand. 
> 
> They met in the middle, both freezing and looking downward. Sylvia had the Phoenix dagger buried in her chest to the hilt, while Damon had Sylvia's blade sticking into his chest, coming out his back. A white light exploded from his chest and he went flying back, lying unconscious. The Phoenix dagger gingerly pulled itself out of Sylvia's chest as she collapsed to the ground. It started spinning again, the glow going brighter and brighter as it spun faster and faster. The massive dragon's body jerked a bit as a glowing red ethereal light was pulled from its body, being sucked into the dagger. The young Shade's body jerked as well as a red-midnight blue-white ethereal light was pulled from her body... but it wasn't sucked into the dagger. Then Sylvia's body jerked as well as her green-brown ethereal light was pulled from her body.
> 
> Moments after that, the dagger dropped to the ground. The ethereal lights spun around it, then disappearing. A man slowly came upon the scene, looking at the three bodies. His eyes were shaded, unable to be seen, under the straw hat he wore, but his long white hair fell over his shoulders. One pale hand rested on the huge staff he carried around with him. The Ancient. He slowly walked up to the Phoenix Dagger, taking it in his free hand, a soft warmth meeting it while he did. The six rings on the ornament on top of his staff clanged lightly as he moved around. The dagger had somehow wiped itself clean, he noticed, of the blood that had coated the entire thing just moments ago.
> 
> He looked at the two young women with unseen eyes, realizing that the dagger somehow belonged to them. Also realizing what damage the dagger could do in the wrong hands, he decided to do one of the only logical things to do. He would take it and hide it, in the very home of the two young women.
> 
> *~*~*
> 
> Centuries past... many had sought the Phoenix dagger and whatever other treasures the large castle may have held. The two spirits of the young women haunted the house... then, until the time when two other young women would enter... 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** Only Shade, Damon, Sylvia, Orion, Adria and Jade belong to me. The rest of them belong to the person who created them!  
**Shade Starlight:** This story was written by me with the assistance of my friend, Venka Le Fay. Ain't that right, Venka? *turns to look at her*  
**Sylvia & Adria:** *pop up in front of Shade* Why are you saying that we're yours? Venka's our mom! *glop onto Venka*  
**Shade:** Alright, alright. Venka helped create Sylvia and Adria. *growls* Happy now?!  
**Adria:** Who spouted out all the good ideas? She did! *points to Venka* Who even got you to write this story?! Venka did!  
**Shade:** Hey, hey... I CAME UP WITH THE IDEA WITH DAMON AND SHADE AND SYLVIA!! THAT'S A GOOD IDEA TOO!! >.<;  
**Venka:** *was spacing out* Huh? Wait, what's going on now? I was thinking about how happy I would be if I actually did own the Ronin boys...  
**All But Venka:** *sweatdrop*  
**Jade:** Sheesh... One would think you needed to see a shrink about this obsession...  
**Venka:** THEY'RE REAL DAMNIT, LEAVE ME ALONE! *clings to her life-size dolls of Sage & Rowen*  
**Jade:** *huggles REAL Rowen... ish happy* Mine! *sticks out tongue at Venka*  
**Rowen:** What? How the hell did I get here?!  
_(Venka dissappears a moment, reappearing with the real Sage, who is looking just as disoriented as Rowen)_  
**Venka:** Sure, you can have the brainiac, Jade. Pretty boy is mine!  
**Adria:** *hooks onto Sage's other arm* Hey, mom... you know he's mine!  
_(Just then, Sage's fan club, aka the Bitch Squad pops through the computer room door)_  
**Bitch Squad Member #1:** Hey! Sage's ours!!  
**Sage:** *sweatdrop* The Dynasty was better than this...  
**Rowen:** *looking down at Jade, grinning* Speak for yourself, dude...  
**Jade:** *squeels with glee*  
**Sage:** *large sweatdrop*  
**Bitch Squad:** *starts to climb all over Sage, trying to pull Venka and Adria off him*  
**Shade:** ALRIGHT, ENOUGH!  
_(Everyone freezes and looks up at Shade... they all blink at the same time)_  
**Shade:** *AHEM* Everyone out of the computer room... or else none of you are in the next chapter!  
**Bitch Squad:** *slowly goes out, grumbling about how they are going to do nasty things to Jade, Adria, Venka and Shade*  
**Shade:** I heard that... -.-;  
**Damon:** No one likes me... ;-;  
**Shade:** *pats Damon's head* Don't worry, people do like you, Damon.  
**Damon:** How 'bout a kiss then? Just to prove it?  
_(A loud slapping sound was heard inside and outside of the computer room)_  
**Damon:** *goes out with a large red hand-print on his face* Ouuuuuuuuuuuch.....  
**Kento:** *goes up to Damon... he had a black eye* That's better than what she did to me, dude.  
**Shade:** Out, out, OUT, OUT!!! ALL OF YOU!!!!! JUST GET OUT UNLESS YOU ALL WANT STICKS SHOVED UP YOUR ASSES!! *chases them all out with her metal baseball bat*  
**All But Shade & Venka:** *running as fast as they can out*  
**Shade:** Finally... peace and quiet... -.-; *feels a tap on her shoulder... turns* ..?  
**Jade:** I'm still in the next chapter of the fic, right...?  
**Shade:** Get out, or I'll take you out of the fic all-together.  
**Jade:** But... but...  
**Adria:** *pops her head back in* Does that mean I can have Sage AND Rowen?!  
**Jade:** *growls* I AM SO GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS FOR SAYING THAT!!!! *picks up her metal baseball bat, the words "Piece 'O Mind" written on the side, chasing Adria around angrily... but she trips and ends falling flat on her face, her skirt flipping up. All the guys who are peering through the door at this point get nosebleeds and silly grins*  
_(Many, many thwacking, whacking, bopping, popping and growling noises are heard, then all of the guys groaning in pain)_  
**Shade:** *puts a hand to her forehead, sighing* I'm never going to get anything done... *she looked over at Venka*  
**Venka:** *staring off into space* Wow... you really look good with your shirt off, Sage...  
**Shade:** *looks forward, then smashing her head into the keyboard repeatedly* 


	2. The Phoenix Reborn

> (Disclaimer: see Prolouge)
> 
>   

> 
> **Chapter One**
> 
>   

> 
> **The Phoenix Reborn**
> 
> _Present Day: Berkeley, California_
> 
> Both girls waited eagerly for someone to pick up the phone on the other line. They both stared at the speakerphone, while the one who had called idly played with the gum in her mouth. She had long dark-blue hair, with silver stripes running through it. Her midnight blue eyes didn't blink much, her finger still playing with the gum in her mouth, her lips were painted black. Her hand reached up and brushed some of her hair back, her nicely manicured nails painted black as well. She was wearing black silk pajamas. The other girl had longish fiery orange-red-gold hair, which was currently put up into pigtails. Her emerald green eyes were sparkling with excitement.
> 
> "C'mon... c'mon! Pick up!" she muttered softly, bouncing up and down a bit on the bed she sat on, making her wavy hair bounce as well. Hair fell over her left eye. She was dressed in a tank top and a pair of shorts. Both girls' eyes lit up when the person they hoped to reach finally picked up. "Anime Radio! You're caller 15! Congratulations!" the man said enthusiastically. "You and a friend will be sent to Japan for the year! All expenses paid!" With that, the girl with the pigtails jumped from the bed, yelling and cheering while jumping up and down. "WOOHOO!!! WE DID IT! WE ACTUALLY DID IT!! WE'RE GOING TO JAPAN FOR THE YEAR!!!! THIS'LL BE SO DAMN GREAT!!!!!"
> 
> The other girl with the black lipstick smiled. "Sweet," she said with a grin. "Alright, ladies... if you can tell us the answer to this question, then the tickets are yours... but if you can't, then we'll have to give it to someone else. What Anime features four young men who work in a flower shop, but are secretly-"
> 
> "WEISS KREUZ!!!!" both girls cried at the same time. "Er... you didn't let me finish the question... but you're right! You're going to Japan for the year!" Chris D. said. "YES!!!!" they both said in unison again. "High five!" the girl with the pigtails cried. The other high-fived her. Chris got their information and they hung up, just seconds before a young man with short blonde hair and chocolate-brown eyes burst in. "Jade Calista Eve Hunter! Adria... er... Damnit, I never found out your last name! Well... anyway... what the hell is going on in here? You two are being loud enough to wake the dead! The neighbors just called to see if you two weren't getting brutally assaulted!" he told them sternly.
> 
> "Oh calm down, Darth. Don't be such a stiff." Jade, the girl with the pigtails, said dryly. "We won a trip to Japan for an ENTIRE YEAR!" Jade said enthusiastically. Darth growled lightly. "Well you can't go... you have too many connections and stuff here, remember? Besides, if you're going, I wanna go too," he said. "Hey... That's not fair, DORK. We _are_ going to Japan for the year and you can't stop us!" Jade said, narrowing her eyes. "Besides, with us out of the house, you can have your girlfriends over freely... isn't that right, Adria?" she said with a grin. The one with the black lipstick semi-grinned, nodding. "Yup. This place is land of the free, home of the brave, and the crappiest place on earth," she replied.
> 
> Both she and Jade laughed a bit, Darth seemed to be in deep thought. "Well... if that's true, which it is, when can you go?" Darth said, opening his eyes with a smile. Jade sighed softly, murmuring so only Adria could hear. "Guys... they're always thinking with things other than their heads." Adria burst out laughing, and so did Jade. Jade continued to roll onto her bed, then rolling off the other side and landing on the floor with a thud. Darth started laughing and Adria started laughing harder than before. Just then, Jade popped up, with her metal baseball bat, the words "Piece 'O Mind" written on the side. "Hey... don't make me give you both a piece of my mind!" she growled lightly. Darth backed up a bit, holding his hands up in front of him, laughing a little bit, nervously.
> 
> "Eheh, that's okay. I'll just get out of here… but seriously, when can you go?" he asked them. Adria smiled. "Our plane leaves Monday… we have the entire weekend to pack!" With that, Darth left with a grin, plotting, while the two girls excitedly started to get ready for their trip to Japan. 
> 
> *~*~*
> 
> Meanwhile, in a mansion just outside Toyama, Japan, Sage Daté was reading the newspaper, drinking some orange juice. Cye Mouri was in the kitchen making waffles; Kento Le Fhan was hopping up and down like a hungry puppy, watching Cye. Ryo Senada was outside, playing around with White Blaze and Yuli Yomano. Every so often, there would be the sound of a spatula hitting flesh and a yelp from Kento, then Cye saying something like, "Hands off. They're not ready yet." Mia Koji was setting the table, a smile on her face. Finally getting fed-up of Kento trying to get some of the batter, Cye finally burst out, "If you want to do something useful, go wake up Rowen!" Rowen Hashiba was still upstairs in bed when Kento snuck up to him, carrying a bucket of ice cubes.
> 
> The grin on Kento's face definitely wasn't a good thing. He set the bucket of ice down, tearing away Rowen's covers, then promptly picking up the bucket again and dumping it on him. Then running out the door of the room, looking back in at Rowen. Suddenly, Rowen's eyes shot open and he bolted up in bed, the ice spilling down his shirt, a couple going down his boxers. His deep aquamarine blue eyes found Kento in the doorway, grinning and snickering. "KENTOO!!!!!!" he roared angrily. "Oooooh shit," Kento yelped as he ran as fast as he could down the stairs, and out the front door. Just moments later, Rowen landed at the bottom of the stairs, holding one of Sage's wooden practice swords which he had gotten from Sage's room in record time. "ALRIGHT, WHERE IS HE?!" the seething warrior of air demanded. "Well, good morning to you too, sunshine." Sage said sarcastically, turning the page of his paper. "We have school today. You knew that, right, Rowen?" Sage asked, still glancing over the paper.
> 
> "I think they're introducing two new students in a in a couple of days, right?" Ryo asked, coming back in. "Yeah, I think so," replied Cye, coming into the room, holding a steaming plate of waffles. Kento's head popped in the door, smelling the aroma of the waffles. "Ah… heavenly," he said softly. Then he spotted Rowen, his eyes going wide as he ducked back out the door. Rowen followed him closely, practice sword held above his head like he was about to hit him repeatedly in the head. Sage's hand came out, grabbing a hold of the sword and pulling it out of Rowen's hands. "Oh… Rowen? Next time you feel like borrowing one of my swords, please ask," he said.
> 
> Rowen looked at him, semi-annoyed. "Fine… can I use one of your swords to bash Kento's head to a bloody pulp?" he asked. "No," replied Sage with a semi-care free tone. "Oh… you're not going to school in that, are you Rowen?" Mia asked him. Rowen looked down at the cold, damp tank top and boxer-shorts he wore, then blushing a bit and zipping up the stairs. "I'll be there in a minute!" he yelled. "Hey, boys… I have a little surprise for you…" Mia said while Cye started dishing out the waffles and maple syrup.
> 
> *~*~*
> 
> _Nareta Airport, Japan_
> 
> The two girls got off the plane, one practically hopping up and down excitedly, holding a video camera and looking around with it, the other pretending not to know the first. "Sugoi! Sugoi, sugoi!" Jade said, filming almost everything she could. Then again, she hadn't been this excited on the plane. She'd actually been terrified enough to have to take something to calm her down via her drink via Adria. Jade's little pet red snake, Orion, was curled up around her neck, sniffing it's new surroundings. "We're ACTUALLY in Japan! Can you believe it, Adria?" Jade looked over to Adria, who was already talking to the person who came to pick them up. Adria was dressed in her usual attire, a long gothic dress of black, the sleeves flaring out at the ends to make a bell sleeve, while the jacket over it was made from lace.
> 
> Her hair was up in a ponytail on either side of her head. Just like REALLY long pigtails. Jade was wearing her normal pair of bell-bottom blue jeans, and a semi-tight white shirt with 'Goddess' written in rhinestones on it. Her hair was half up in a ponytail, half down and flowing down her back, hair falling over her left eye. Jade walked over to the two, still filming. "Yes, we're the Anime Radio winners… So where are we going to stay?" Adria was saying. "Well, ladies… Firstly, I have two school uniforms for you here. If you wish to change now or in the limo, just say so. I will be driving you to a young woman's house. Mia Koji, I believe," the man said. "Now then, ladies… shall we go get your bags?"
> 
> "Yes, please!" Jade said with a smile. They went and got their bags, then going into the limo and resting, but watching everyone and everything outside. "This is so great, don't you think, Adria?" Jade asked, smiling. "Yeah… it's really fun so far," Adria replied. 
> 
> *~*~*
> 
> The limo pulled up in front of Mia's mansion, only Mia and Yuli coming out in greeting. The limo driver got out, pulling open the door with a courteous smile. Adria got out first, and Mia's smile wavered momentarily. _Is that what all the American girls are wearing these days?_ She wondered. Then Jade popped her head out, looking around before she stepped out, Orion still curled around her neck like a necklace. _What have I gotten myself into?_ Mia thought to herself. "Hello, welcome to Japan, girls," she said with a warm smile, walking forward. Adria gave a small curtsy, and Jade bowed as much as she could without Orion falling off her neck.
> 
> "My name is Adria Carmycle, and this is my friend Jade Hunter. It's very nice of you to take us into your home," Adria told her. Mia smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Adria… Jade. My name is Mia Koji, and that," she motioned to Yuli, "is Yuli Yomano," she replied. "It's very nice to meet you too, Mia and Yuli," Jade said semi-quietly. Yuli lightly tugged on Jade's shorts to get her attention. She smiled down at Yuli. "What is it?" she asked. "Is that a real snake? Can I touch it?" Yuli asked, looking at Orion. Jade chuckled lightly. "Of course Orion's real… and you can pet him if you want. Just make sure to let him smell you first," Jade said with a smile. "Hmm… well… how do I do that?" Yuli asked. Adria gently took his hand, holding it up in front of the snake, who flicked it's tongue out, smelling him. Yuli laughed softly. "It tickles!" he said.
> 
> The little red snake gently rubbed it's head against Yuli's hand, and he petted it, smiling. Jade and Adria smiled. "Let me show you two to your room… oh, you two don't mind sharing a room, do you?" she asked. "Oh no, we do it all the time," Adria said with a smile. Just then, Jade caught sight of a white tiger peeking through the door out at them. Her eyes grew really wide, though one of them was covered with hair. "Is… is that a white tiger?" she asked, her voice semi-high-pitched. Mia looked back and saw White Blaze looking out at them. "Oh… yes, I probably should have warned you ahead of time, shouldn't I have?" Mia asked softly. Jade got on one knee, smiling and softly crooning to the big cat. "C'mere boy… I won't hurt you… don't worry…" she spoke softly. "Hmm… what's the tiger's name?" Adria asked, not the slightest bit worried.
> 
> Mia was a little surprised about this as White Blaze slowly came out of the house, going over to Jade and sniffing her hand. "White… Blaze. White Blaze. That's his name," Mia said a bit puzzled. "He likes you!" Yuli said happily. Jade simply smiled and nodded slightly. "So, do you need help getting your bags to your room?" Mia asked them with a kind smile. "No, that's alright. I'll just bring my bags up and Jade'll bring hers up when she's finished crooning over the cat." Adria said with a smile.
> 
> *~*~*
> 
> As they were unpacking, Jade was humming to herself happily. The first thing she unpacked was Orion's terrarium. She set it up by the window, then setting him in it, still humming happily to herself. Then she sensed a familiar aura. She immediately stopped humming, her smile slowly fading, turning just in time to see Adria pushing a fancy-ish wooden box underneath Jade's bed. She seemed completely different… completely serious. "So you brought it, huh?" she asked softly. Adria looked up at her and nodded. "Yes… I just got the feeling that we might need it here…" she replied
> 
> *~*~*
> 
> "Guys!" Mia called to the Ronin as she rushed out the front door. They all looked at her and smiled. Yuli came rushing out after Mia, happily jumping up and down. "We have two new guests in the house! One of them looks kinda funny… but they're both really nice!" Yuli said with a smile. "Yuli!" Mia said sternly. "Well… it's true! She dresses entirely in black and she wears black lipstick!" Yuli said. "Hmm… she sounds Gothic." Sage said, looking up and his hand to his mouth so it looked like he was thinking. "Gothic? What's that?" Cye asked, blinking a bit. "Have they met White Blaze?" Ryo asked. "Oh yes… they get along fine with him." Mia said, smiling. "Hmm…" Kento said to himself. "Let's see these people for ourselves, and not just ask about them," Rowen piped in.
> 
> As they all started to walk into the living room, they spotted the two girls immediately. Adria and Jade had both changed, Adria now wearing a pair of very short black leather shorts, dark purple and black stripped leggings, her black shirt cut at the bottom so it showed her flat stomach, the same ragged and ripped effect on the extremely short sleeves at the top. The phrase "So I'm a Goth, is there a problem?" written on the front in blood red lettering, and her arms were covered in black lace. She had changed her hairstyle, so that it was all up in a really long ponytail, the rest of it sticking around and being completely wild. Jade was now wearing a short sort of flowing mini-skirt, her shirt only had one strap going over her left shoulder, the ends seeming to be ripped. It was a little short and was quite tight, clinging to her chest, then falling over her flat stomach before being cut off in a ragged manor, so her stomach was showing. Her hair was also up in a ponytail, but as always, there was hair hanging in front of her left eye, so it couldn't be seen that well.
> 
> Adria was sitting in a beanbag chair on the floor, her legs crossed. She was engrossed in a book titled, "The Book Of Shadows". Jade was sitting on the couch, smiling and watching TV while White Blaze's head was resting in her lap, his eyes closed as he purred contently while she scratched him behind the ears. His tail was swaying slowly back and forth, like any happy cats' would. "Whoa… they are weird," muttered Kento under his breath. "We're not weird, we're just different," Adria said without looking up. Kento almost fell over while Sage and Rowen exchanged looks. Jade looked up, smiling, her lips glossed so they were nice and shiny. "Oh! Hello. Er…" she looked down at White Blaze, still purring happily, then over to Mia. "I didn't know you had all these guys in here… you run a frat house or something, Mia?" she asked. Kento fell over, anime style with a sweatdrop and a loud thud.
> 
> The other ronin just kinda looked down at him, then looking back over to the girls. "Uh… no. They just live here because most of them don't really have a place to stay here. They're all from out of town," Mia said rather quickly. Jade looked over to the guys with a small sweatdrop, smiling. "Uh… Hello, guys. I… uh… White Blaze? It's kinda hard for me to get up and shake their hands with you on my lap…" she said, looking down at the white tiger. White Blaze grudgingly got up, then rubbing against Jade's legs as she walked over to the five guys and bowed to them. "I'm Jade Hunter… Who are you guys?" she asked with a smile, after righting herself. She looked at all five of them, giving a small smile. Sage, she noticed, had backed up a little bit; the one silver-violet eye that was seen was a little wide.
> 
> "Is… something wrong?" she asked with a small smile. "Uh… no. Everything's fine. I just remembered I have a report to do. I'll catch you guys later, k?" Sage said before going up the stairs. "Uh… Well, I'm Rowen, this is Cye," he motioned to Cye, "that's Ryo," he motioned to Ryo, "that's Kento, on the floor, and blondie was Sage." Rowen said with a smile. Jade nodded to each one in turn, then looking at where Sage had gone… she had gotten a strange aura from him… from all of them. "I thought I told you not to call me Blondie, Rowen," Sage growled threateningly from upstairs. "Hmm… is he always like that?" Jade asked about Sage. Cye, who was looking at Kento, still sprawled out on the ground, swirly eyes and blood pouring from his nose. "Yes, he is… unfortunately." Cye replied.
> 
> Jade looked up at Cye. "Y'mean he has a problem with girls?" Jade asked curiously. Cye looked up, a bit puzzled. "Kento? No he doesn't…. oh, you meant Sage, didn't you?" he said. Jade nodded. "Yeah," Rowen said. "His older sister screwed him up for life, not to mention all the girls at school climb all over him."
> 
> "Note to self: Stay away from Sage's older sister, and never use him as a jungle gym," Jade said to herself, making the others laugh a bit. "Hey… isn't your friend going to introduce herself?" Ryo asked. "Huh?" Jade looked over at him, then back at Adria. "Charmed, I'm sure." Adria said, not even looking up from her book. "Oh… forgive her. She's not very good with people. Once you get to know her, she's really cool, though. She's Adria," Jade told them. "Ah, I see…" Ryo said. She then looked down at the semi-dazed Kento, his hand twitching as he looked up at Jade. Her eyes widened as she pushed her short skirt against her legs, a becoming blush forming on her pale cheeks. He realized that she had noticed what he was doing and quickly got up. "YOU _**PERVERT!!!**_" Jade yelled, then slapping Kento across the face so hard, his head snapped back. She was seething.
> 
> "That's your viewing fee, you perv!" she growled at him before stepping away from them all and storming off, White Blaze following her. "Ouch… I think I'll stay away from her for a while… she may be cute, but that hurt," said Kento, holding the red handprint on his cheek. Sighing, Adria stood and looked over at the four lasting young men there. "You think that hurt? You should see the last guy who did something like that. He had to be hospitalized. And that is good advice. You might want to use it on both her and me," she said. Ryo blinked, watching her. "Wait… Hospitalized?" Ryo asked. Adria nodded. "Yup. He's been sterilized from a blow to the nuts. He can't have any kids for the rest of his life," Adria said before following Jade to their room calmly. "…Ouch," all four guys chorused at the same time.
> 
> "Hmm…" Rowen muttered to himself as he started going to Sage's room, leaving Ryo, Kento, Mia, Yuli and Cye alone to talk. Rowen knocked lightly on Sage's door. "Hey, Sage… you all right?" he called. A frustrated sound came from inside Sage's room before the door was opened. Sage definitely looked troubled. "What's wrong?" Rowen asked him. "Those girls…" Sage said softly. Rowen blinked. "What about them?" he asked. "They had odd auras…" Sage replied. Rowen was slightly taken aback. "You mean… they're from the Dynasty?" he asked. "No, I don't think so… but their energies are much different from that of a normal person. But we have to keep our eyes open. If they are, then we don't want them to get the drop on us," Sage said solemnly.
> 
> "I doubt they're from the Dynasty… maybe they're just weird?" Rowen said, blinking. "I believe you said the same thing about me many years ago." Sage said.
> 
> *~*~*
> 
> _"There he is, the Messenger of Doom," said a student, looking over at a lone 7-year-old Sage from afar. A 7-year-old Rowen was sitting under a tree, looking at Sage, a book in his hands. "Did you hear? He told Luke that a friend or family member was going to be in an accident, then that night his dog was run over by a car!" the first child exclaimed. "I think he set it up," the second one said, semi-angrily. "And, he even predicted that Sarah would break her leg in P.E., and lo and behold, she did!" the first said. "I think that he set them all up! Just so people would think he had special powers or something!" the second kid said. "Yeah, and when Julia lost her ring, he found it." The first kid said. "Yeah? I'll bet you he stole it!" the second countered. "Hey, you guys… give him a break. He's new," Rowen said._
> 
> Both kids gave Rowen an odd look. "That from the bookworm," the first kid snickered. "Yeah…maybe you're his accomplice!" the second smirked. "Hey, the guy's just the new freak on the block. I wouldn't believe him even if he did have special powers," Rowen said angrily. "I already know what my future is and it's nothing he can predict." Both the other kids snickered, then started to walk off, muttering something about the Bookworm liking the Freak. Just then, Rowen looked over at Sage, who was staring at him. He blinked, crossing his arms and going back to the spot under the tree, picking up his book and saying rather rudely, "What are YOU looking at, weirdo? You can't scare me with that stuff." Rowen said before starting to read his book again.
> 
> Later that day, at lunch break, Sage approached Rowen. Rowen looked up from his book, blinking. "What do you want, Mr. Messenger of Doom? What's your message?" Rowen asked him rather coldly. Sage just offered a small smile. "You want to come over to my house later, Rowen?" he asked friendly-like… but he was looking at the bruises and cuts that Rowen had received on his face and arms. "No, I don't, weirdo," Rowen said coldly. "Fine… but I would be careful around your father today if I were you," Sage said before walking away. Rowen merely blinked.
> 
> A couple of hours after school, Rowen walked down the street, clutching his still-bleeding side, his feet still barefoot because he had left the house in a hurry. He had wanted to get away from his abusive father. His right arm had been knocked out of its socket… a few minutes later; he fell to the ground, lying unconscious. He wasn't aware of the pale, gentle hands picking him up and pulling him to a police car. The next day, he woke up in a bed that wasn't his own… a kindly young matronly woman was sitting by his bed, her smile warm. "Ah, I see you're awake, Rowen… you must have had a hard time, right? Oh well… you're all patched up now. My son and husband brought you to me. Sage Daté? I believe you know him, right?" she said with a smile.
> 
> *~*~*
> 
> Rowen's eyes were downcast, and he was ashamed to look up at Sage. He remembered the time when they were kids, and all he had done was be cruel to Sage… but Sage had helped him out and been nothing but kind to him. "Well… we should just keep an eye out for them. That's all I'm saying, Rowen," Sage said quietly before going to sit at his desk. Neither Sage nor Rowen noticed the lone figure standing outside the door, but it then started moving towards Adria and Jade's room. It was Adria. She then entered the room, looking at Jade, who was lying on her bed, White Blaze's head on her stomach while she scratched behind his ears. Jade saw the serious look on Adria's face, then blinking. "What is it, Adria?" she asked. "Sage and Rowen already suspect something… we have to act completely normal. Alright?" Adria said. "Hmm… should I go into my ditzy girl routine? That normally makes people think I'm just an ordinary ditz." Jade said while looking up at the ceiling, her hand behind her head, her other hand still scratching White Blaze behind the ears while he purred contently. "Knock yourself out… just don't over-do it." Adria said.
> 
> "EVERYONE, DINNER!!" Mia yelled from downstairs. "Woohoo!" Jade called, then attempting to get up, but failing. A large sweatdrop appeared on the back of her head. "Uh, White Blaze? Could you get up?" she asked the tiger resting on her stomach. He got up and slowly, almost grumbling. Jade sped out of the room, calling "Woohoo! Dinner!" before she jumped over the railing, landing on the bottom of the stairs. Kento, who had seen her and was taking the time to just go down the stairs, muttered, "Why didn't I think of that?" Adria looked over the railing, blinking slightly, then sighing and looking upwards as if for help. "This is going to be one looooooong year."
> 
> *~*~*
> 
> During dinner, Kento was wolfing food down like there was no tomorrow, just like normal, and Cye was telling him, "Stop eating so quickly! You're going to choke!" Sage was just picking at his food, Rowen was eating a hardy meal, and Ryo was eating pretty much the same thing. Mia and Yuli were also eating pretty much the same thing, and so were the two visitors. Adria was picking at her food as well, trying to pretend she didn't know the pig across from her. Jade was taking normal bites, her emerald eyes bright as she smiled. They were all eating Fettuccini Alfredo with little chicken bits in it. "This is really good, Mia and Cye! You two are really good cooks. Maybe some time I could give you a couple of my tips!" Jade smiled, licking up a little Alfredo sauce on her lower lip. Cye and Mia smiled.
> 
> "Adria and I would like to help clean up in the kitchen as a thank you for this delicious meal," Jade said with a smile. "But-" Adria was about to pipe in, but then didn't want to look like the lazy houseguest. "Ah, alright, yes, we would like to." Adria said with a smile. Kento, who looked up when he heard this, grinned and nodded furiously, Alfredo sauce all over his face. "Yeah! That means I don't have to wash the dishes tonight!" he said happily. Jade just smiled slightly, glaring a bit at Kento, just enough to make him uncomfortable, then starting to finish off her food. Dinner went smoothly, the conversation was good. The only one that wasn't really talking that much was Sage, who was just sorta playing with his food. Both Adria and Jade took notice, but didn't say anything.
> 
> As Jade and Adria were clearing the dishes, they both noticed that he hadn't really eaten anything. Jade kept quiet as she started to bring the dishes she had in her hands into the kitchen, but Adria stopped and asked quietly, "Hey… you alright? You didn't eat much." Sage looked up and blinked a bit. "Oh, yeah… I'm not hungry," he replied. She just looked at him, blinking a bit before she just shrugged and took his plate, setting it in front of Kento, who promptly gobbled it all up. Then she took it into the kitchen, smiling slightly at Jade. Jade was already washing dishes, an apron was tied around her waist, and she looked back and smiled. "Did you notice that Sage didn't eat anything really?" Adria asked her.
> 
> Jade nodded slightly, washing some dishes. Adria just put her load of dishes down before she walked upstairs, coming back down and plugging in a boom box and popping in a CD. They started to sing to the music they were listening to, Jade washing the dishes and Adria drying them and putting them away. Suddenly, Adria stopped singing. Jade looked over at her, blinking and giving a small, "Huh?" She was staring out into space, not moving, still as a statue. Her eyes stared at the wall, but didn't really see it. As soon as the dish dropped from Adria's hands, shattering into a million pieces, Jade dropped the dish she was washing and put her arms out, just in time for a now unconscious Adria to fall right into them. "Adria! Adria!" she cried, a worried expression on her face.
> 
> Mia, Cye, and Ryo came into the room, hearing the dish shatter. Sage, Rowen and Kento were at the door; peering in. "Is she alright?" Mia asked worriedly. "Yeah… she's fine. She just gets these fainting spells," Jade said quickly. "Could one of you help me get her up to our room…?" At this, Kento just walked into the room and picked Adria up, slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of meat. Jade's hand twitched slightly as she glared at him. "Not you," she growled. "Kento, if you're going to pick up a lady, do it properly, and not like they're a sack of potatoes or something," Mia said angrily. Kento put Adria down gently, a large sweatdrop on the back of his head as he held up his hands and backed off. Sage sighed softly, coming into the room and picking up Adria gently, Rowen following him.
> 
> He took Adria up to her room, gently setting her down on her bed. Jade was beside him the whole time. Rowen was standing in the doorway, wondering what he should do. Jade sat down on Adria's bed, next to her, worried. Then she looked up at Sage and flashed a smile. "So… uh… we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Jade Hunter, and that," she nodded to Adria, "is Adria Carmycle," Jade said. She offered a small smile. Sage was again getting that weird aura from the two, so he backed off just a bit…
> 
> *~*~*
> 
> _She heard the screech of the dragon moments before she heard the cry of her dear sister. "Orion!" Sylvia had heard her cry. She started to run as fast as she could, the fireflies whizzing by her, long sandy-blonde hair falling in her face and trailing after her, her green shirt wrapped around her chest, just a little cleavage peeking out while it stopped just below her chest. Her green skirt was trailing after her as she ran. Time seemed to slow, seconds seeming like minutes, minutes seeming like hours. Then she finally got there, freezing at what she saw. The Phoenix dagger floating in the air, glowing, Damon was kneeling by Shade's lifeless body. "Shade! Orion! What the hell have you done to them you bloody bastard?!" she had demanded. Damon had turned, his crimson eyes filled with tears as he suddenly reached out and grabbed the handle of the Phoenix dagger._
> 
> He screamed at the same time that the dagger's glow spread all over his body. Tears were welling in her own eyes, starting to fall down her cheeks as she realized she could have saved both Orion and Shade if she had been there just a few minutes earlier. "No… this can't be right!" she said to herself softly before she twisted the two sides of her staff, the small blade coming out of the top. I'll make him pay for what he's done, she thought. She charged at him, tears still streaming from her eyes, almost blinding her. She was able to spot him rushing towards her before she was almost completely blinded. Pain ripped through her chest and she looked down… the Phoenix dagger was buried right between her breasts, only the hilt seen. A white light exploded in front of her and Damon was sent sprawling back.
> 
> She collapsed to the ground, the dagger gingerly pulling itself out of her chest and glowing. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you…" she whispered so softly, she could barely hear herself. Then the darkness engulfed her.
> 
> *~*~*
> 
> As Adria suddenly jerked awake, Jade gently pushed Sage and Rowen out of the room. "Out, out, out! She's probably disoriented and confused!" Jade was saying before she closed the door in their faces. She immediately turned around and walked back over to Adria, sitting down on the bed. She took a deep breath, looking her in the eye. "What did you see this time, Adria?" Jade asked her softly. "My death…" Adria said in a soft whisper. Neither saw Sage outside the door, listening in closely. 


End file.
